Columns

Last week the legislature passed a joint resolution that allows school districts to start the next school year on Thursday, Aug. 17. Without this resolution, schools could not start before the third Monday of that month, Aug. 21 – the day of a solar eclipse.

Tuesday night, America saw President Trump give what 76 percent of viewers thought was a great speech to Congress. But the Democrats saw it as only another chance to express their disbelief and demagoguery, which seems to be their only strategy.
Trump’s speech drew much praise for its positive dream of national unity. It offered real hope and promised true change, but if you were watching the Democratic side of the aisle, it looked like a funeral service, with an occasional exception for scattered applause.

Thank you to the Indian Land community from the Friends of the Del Webb Library for another wonderful year. Because of your support of the Friends, we were able to fulfill our mission to promote and support the literary, educational and community roles of the Del Webb Library.
The Friends ended 2016 with 381 members. In addition, we partnered with 42 businesses in the Indian Land community. These businesses support the Friends by offering discounts on goods and services to Friends members or through monetary donations. These business partnerships are ongoing and growing.

Manufacturers such as Boeing are said to be drawn to South Carolina because it’s a right-to-work state, something state political leaders tout.
It’s spelled out in state law: “The right of persons to work must not be denied or abridged because of membership or non-membership in a labor union or labor organization.”

If we as a state make innovation a hallmark of who we are and what we do, we will grow and prosper. If we don’t, we will stagnate and die.
The choice is that clear and that stark. Am I being overly dramatic? I don’t think so.
◆ “Innovate or die.” Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft.
◆ “The only way to thrive is to innovate. It’s that simple.” Alex Tabarrok, Canadian economist.
◆ “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” Steve Jobs, founder of Apple.

Editor’s note: This message is from the chairs of the Lancaster Promise Neighborhood Advisory Team – Bruce Brumfield, chief executive of Founders Federal Credit Union, Lancaster County Council member Charlene McGriff, and Dr. Paul McKenzie, research director for the Lancaster County School District.

Every day the news carries another story of community strife, violence or discordant protest. Likewise, we turn on the television and hold our collective breaths, waiting for another turn of bad events.

Restoring hope and opportunity is critical to lifting up our communities who feel like they have been left behind.
We have people all across the country living paycheck to paycheck who are forced to make choices no family should, like whether they should pay for heat in the winter or purchase necessary medications. Our country has witnessed under-employment rates soar, high school graduation rates drop, and poverty numbers remain stagnant.

Billy Dale McCants, my son, was in a car wreck Nov. 12, 1988. I met the then-16th Circuit Solicitor Tommy Pope in 1995 for the trial of the two men that murdered my other son, Deputy James Brent McCants, killed in the line of duty Sept. 25, 1992.
Tommy and his wife, Kim, are the best people I know. They really care for people. You become their friends, and they are yours.
Tommy became speaker pro tem of the S.C. House in 2014. Now he is running for the 5th District congressional seat.

Last week the S.C. House of Representatives adopted, with no objections, a resolution congratulating Gov. Henry McMaster on his ascension to the office – and encouraging him to expand Medicaid in South Carolina. This was unexpected, because the House, at least on paper, has been against expanding Medicaid.
Clearly, no one other than the House member who introduced it and perhaps a few of the cosponsors had even glanced at the resolution.

While Election Day is behind us, there is still a lot going on in local and state politics.
The upcoming meeting of the Lancaster County Republican Party puts you in the middle of it, giving you a chance to meet the candidates, live and in person. The February meeting will be Thursday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. at Mike Williams Builders, located at 1351 Charlotte Highway, Lancaster. Here are some great reasons to attend our upcoming meeting.